Pres Obama wows crowds at U-M commencement

President Obama is used to wowing big crowds but he wowed tens of thousands at one of the country's biggest venues in Ann Arbor. Here is a round up of coverage on the event.Excerpt:Ann Arbor--President Barack Obama took aim at the mean-spirited political rhetoric circulating the country during his commencement address Saturday to graduates of the University of Michigan."We can't expect to solve our problems by tearing each other down," Obama said, using his speech to respond to some of his critics who depict the U.S. government as repressive. "It may grab headlines but it puts us on a level of murderous regimes."Obama appealed to the 80,000 in attendance at Michigan Stadium to hear him speak, calling for more civil discourse even though history suggests politics have never been a "nice business ... even during times of great change.""Despite all its flaws, our democracy has worked better than any form of government on earth," he said.Read the rest of the story here, more here and a whole lot more here.

U-M Credit Union looks at The Ann Arbor News building

The University of Michigan Credit Union is looking for bigger and better space, and its considering The Ann Arbor News building. However, downtown Ann Arbor isn't the only place it's looking.Excerpt:The University of Michigan Credit Union is real-estate shopping and is looking at the now-vacant Ann Arbor News building on the southwest corner of Huron and Division streets.However, the three-story News building is only one of several properties being considered as a potential home for the credit union’s administrative offices, says Jeff Schillag, the institution’s vice president of marketing and community relations.Not all the potential sites are downtown, Schillag says. And any acquired space would replace leased office space.Read the rest of the story here.

Zoltan Mesko’s road to the American Dream kicks through U-M football

A football team's kicker rarely makes the headlines, let alone its punter. That's not the case at the University of Michigan where Zoltan Mesko is grabbing headlines, heading to the NFL and living the American Dream as a Romanian immigrant.Excerpt:ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) - Zoltan Mesko was born and raised in Timisoara , Romania. Like his parents, Mihai and Elizabeta, he speaks both languages fluently. When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, travel improved dramatically behind the Iron Curtain - but not for Romanians. Zoltan's parents, both engineers, could not leave the country until they won Romania's Green Card lottery -- yes, they had one - in 1997. They quickly discovered Hollywood's depiction of America didn't quite match their apartment in Queens. It was dirty and cramped - even for three people -- and so expensive, they moved to Twinsburg, Ohio, near Cleveland. Zoltan learned English in about two months. His parents took two years, but understanding American culture took a little longer. When Mesko's class played kickball inside the gym one day, he boomed the ball so high it shattered a ceiling light. The teacher gave him a choice: "You're either going to pay for that light, or you're going to play football."Read the rest of the story here.

Conceptual design nearly done for Ann Arbor Skatepark

What will the plans for Ann Arbor's first skatepark look like when they're revealed later this month? Interested skaters and fans of the longtime underground sport should look east for clues.Trevor Staples, chair of the Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark, says they are using the new Riley Skatepark in Farmington Hills as a sort of template for what they plan to build.  They are also working to make sure storm water run off is taken care of and public art is incorporated so everyone can enjoy the new facility."Our goal is to have something for every skater," Staples says. "We want to have beginner, intermediate and expert levels right next to each other so they can learn from each other."The friends group and local stakeholders recently participated in the second design charrette for the skatepark set to be built on the north side of Veterans Memorial Park near the intersection of Maple and Miller roads on the city's northwest side. Skatepark design firm extraordinaire Wally Hollyday Design is in the process of combining two conceptual designs into what is expected to be the final design, set to be revealed on May 22.The initiative recently received a $400,000 pledge from the Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Department. The skatepark is expected to cost between $800,000 to $1 million to build.Source: Trevor Staples, chair of the Friends of the Ann Arbor SkateparkWriter: Jon Zemke

Work begins on Crisler Arena addition, renovation

Pioneer HS gets ready for summer construction

When the students leave Pioneer High School in mid June look for the construction workers to move in to improve the back half of high school on the city's west side.The $1.7 million project will create a student courtyard behind the school in an open area that currently serves as the home to more than a dozen portable classrooms. It will also improve the school's tunnel system, expand its culinary arts classroom space, add space for special education and do away with the 16 portable classrooms.Those portable classroom have been a fixture at the high school for more than 25 years as the Ann Arbor Public Schools District has worked to deal with its growth. The removal of the units will once bring all of Pioneer's classroom teaching back into the main building."There are a lot of them," says Amy Osinski, spokeswoman for Ann Arbor Public Schools. "It's like portable city."Most of the work will be done in time for the next school year in late August. The student courtyard construction will probably continue through early fall before opening before the weather turns cold in October.The project is paid for by money raised in a 2004 bond proposal that calls for improving Pioneer High School. The school opened in the early 1950s on a huge parcel of land bordered by Seventh Street, Stadium Boulevard, Main Street and Scio Church Street. It has been renovated and added on a number of times since then. It has been 20 years since the last major renovation. The opening of Skyline High School allowed the school district to redevelop Pioneer High School.Source: Amy Osinski, spokeswoman for Ann Arbor Public SchoolsWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor green lights Michigan Islamic Academy expansion

The Ann Arbor City Council has given the go ahead to the expansion plans for the Michigan Islamic Academy on Monday night.The religious Pre-K through 12 school on the city's northeast side plans to double its space at its facility on Plymouth Road. The 23-year-old school will grow to 20,000 square feet so it can accommodate its growing student population. A construction start date hasn't yet been set.The Michigan Islamic Academy currently houses 204 students in its 10,000 square feet of classrooms and a temporary trailer. However, the space lacks some basic school needs, such as a cafeteria.The new plans call for building an addition that will stand three stories tall. It will have space for eight additional classrooms and a cafeteria. The current school only has eight classrooms. The $1.5 million project is set to begin work this summer and wrap it up within nine months.Source: Tarek Nahlawi, the program manager for the Michigan Islamic AcademyWriter: Jon Zemke

NIGHT & DAY: It’s a busy week!

Richard Retyi says, forget Mother's Day, there are monster robots and famous authors to meet. FilterD's guest editor grabs you by the shoulders and points you toward the best of the best in this week's events.

Ann Arbor Companies, Global Markets

It's less about world conquest and more about smart business. Ann Arbor firms are reaching out into the global marketplace and finding great success. Some even call the Mitten home but do little to no business here.